NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fairmont, WV
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Fairmont, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isabel in 2003. Since 1950, 29 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 29
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Fairmont
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Fairmont; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1878, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 43 miles away. The record near Fairmont begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Isabel in 2003, a tropical storm 34 miles away. Of the 8 systems, one has come since 2000. Fairmont has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site. The strongest of the 29 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on June 3, 1980; its path came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on June 16, 1982, killed 1 person. Of the 29, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on June 26, 2024. Fairmont has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 161 West Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1975, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Fairmont has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 161 West Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fairmont
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 29 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Fairmont: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Fairmont
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s9
- 1990s3
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5
- 1960s3
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 1980 | F3 | 13 mi | 29.8 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Jun 21, 1981 | F2 | 12 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 22, 1970 | F2 | 12 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1967 | F2 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1982 | F1 | 13 mi | 2.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Aug 22, 2017 | EF1 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2017 | EF1 | 19 mi | 4.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2017 | EF1 | 11 mi | 0.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 2016 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 9 mi | 4.41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 6 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1998 | F1 | 15 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 29, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fairmont
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of Fairmont since 1975, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 28, 2016. The most recent report is from March 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fairmont
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fairmont, WV, in Fairmont at 1,300 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and February and November the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 47.8 inches over 100 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 109 nights a year. That 47.8 inches is more than at 47 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (63%). Shinnston, 9 miles southwest, has its own station (Clarksburg Benedum Airport, WV): 44.8 inches a year, 3.0 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 24 | 3.8 | 9 |
| Feb | 43 | 26 | 3.2 | 8 |
| Mar | 52 | 33 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Apr | 65 | 42 | 3.9 | 9 |
| May | 73 | 52 | 5.1 | 11 |
| Jun | 80 | 60 | 4.7 | 9 |
| Jul | 84 | 64 | 4.9 | 9 |
| Aug | 83 | 63 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Sep | 77 | 56 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Oct | 65 | 45 | 3.4 | 8 |
| Nov | 54 | 36 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Dec | 44 | 29 | 3.7 | 8 |
| Year | 63 | 44 | 47.8 | 100 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fairmont, WV (1,300 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Fairmont
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 328 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fairmont: 210 thunderstorm wind reports, 88 flash floods, 26 floods and 4 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $10.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on December 31, 2024. May has had the most flash floods, 29 of 88. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 159 have had fewer than Fairmont.
May 25, 2004: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Fairmont — 1 killed, $15,000 damage.
July 31, 1999: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Fairmont — 2 injured, $40,000 damage.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Fairmont — 1 injured.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Fairmont's ZIP code 26554 have filed 173 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $3.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1985: 39 claims (23% of all) and $189,000. The year with the most claims was 2012, with 21. 24% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 131 West Virginia cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 99 have fewer than Fairmont.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1985 | 39 | $189,000 |
Marion County, which includes Fairmont, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on July 22, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marion County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $29.6 million a year, the 10th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $26.7 million (90%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Fairmont
- Rivesville, WV5 mi
- Shinnston, WV9 mi
- Grafton, WV11 mi
- Mannington, WV12 mi
- Fairview, WV13 mi
- Bridgeport, WV13 mi
- Lumberport, WV14 mi
- Flemington, WV15 mi
- Morgantown, WV15 mi
- Clarksburg, WV17 mi
- Maidsville, WV18 mi
- Reedsville, WV18 mi
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